Since may 1991
Written: Jun 22 '02 (Updated Jun 22 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
|
|
| Battery Life: |
|
|
| Photo Quality: |
 |
|
|
Pros: durable
Cons: slow AF
The Bottom Line: Good second hand buy.Not manufactured since 1998.
Battery lasts about ten 36exposure rolls if you do not use the integral flash.
|
|
|
| pwul's Full Review: Nikon N6006 Film Camera |
I bought my N6006 in May 1991 from the United States of America. I had earlier studied different cameras in the camera shops here in Finland and after this I decided the N6006 was what I wanted. At the time I did not know anything about cameras so this was a hard decision.
The reason why I decided to buy the camera from the USA was simple: money. It was about 100 dollars cheaper in Atlanta, Georgia, USA than in Finland. Not to mention optics. The Nikkor AF 35-135 f3.5-4.5 was much, much cheaper in the USA.
With the camera I bought a Slik tripod, cable release, Tamrac-camera bag, Sky& circular pol. filter.
I have been quite pleased with this equipment during the years passed. Only the Nikkor AF 35-135 optics was a slight disappointment. The sharpness of this lens was not entirely satisfactory. Because of this I sold it away. And got a little more than I had paid myself!
Now I have the following lenses for my Nikon N6006: Nikkor AF 50mm f1.8N, Sigma Macro 90mm f2.8 and a Sigma 70-300 APO Macro zoom. Mentally, I prefer prime lenses but my best shots have been taken with the Sigma zoom.
Okay, what about the N6006 body itself? My N6006 has been very durable. Once I dropped it into asphalt road from about 1,5 meters high. No damages! I consider this as an adequate test considering the durability. Also the 50 mm Nikkor lens got out of the experience without damages. This test is something that I wouldn’t recommend to any of you. I certainly won’t do it again. No, if I will be more careful with my equipment.
What are the drawbacks of the N6006? It eats a lot of batteries. And the batteries are very expensive. They cost about 10+ euros or dollars here in Finland. If you use the integral flash it eats your batteries even faster.
The AF is very slow. A couple of weeks ago I was photographing in a model show and even with persons walking towards to your direction the AF struggles. Continuous AF is even slower. This camera was among the earliest AF cameras in the amateur camera market when it was introduced in 1991. Much has happened in AF technology after that.
One among the most irritating properties with the N6006 is the following: when using the camera in autofocus-mode and you press the shutter release it is possible that nothing happens even is the subject is in focus. The microprocessor inside the camera may think that the subject is out of focus even if it is not. Because of this I have missed a few good photos.
No depth of field preview. This is something I would have needed several times. Lack of double exposure is not so bad.
What are the best properties of N6006: As I said earlier, it is very durable. Even it is made of plastics; there is enough of this great material. According to some people, plastic is no good in cameras. But hey, plastic is used nowadays in guns also, for instance in Glock’s, Heckler&Koch, CZ100 and various long guns of Steyr. I think that if it is durable enough with high power weapons it is durable also in cameras.
N6006 uses an old fashioned cable release which is cheap to buy. The lens mount is made of metal. Matrix metering is quite reliable. And with a Nikon SB-27 flash the exposures are spot on even with Fuji Velvia slide film that is know of its very narrow exposure latitude.
N6006 is also very reliable even in cold conditions. I have taken photographs nearly in arctic conditions (-20 Celsius) and the camera functions properly. But in these conditions it is better to have some extra batteries inside your pockets.
N6006 does bracket in 1/3 steps. Good feature when you want at least one accurate exposure.
Would I buy this camera again? Yes, I would. But certainly I would have thought about the N8008S also if I had known that a camera like that was in existence. But a decade ago I was a rookie when it comes to photography.
Now I have taken with my N6006 about 150 pictures that have been published in various magazines. I consider the N6006 a good camera for any serious amateur photographer but you must keep in mind that nowadays there are better cameras available at reasonable prices. The new Nikon F80 is a camera I would choose for about 500 euros/dollars.
Personally I am still dreaming of a Nikon F100 semipro camera. But the price is a bit high for me. My Nikon N6006 will serve me still a few years to come if nothing serious happens.
I won’t sell my N6006 even if I someday buy another body. It will serve me as a backup camera. And it is a good practise to have separate bodies for negative- and slide films.
Best regards,
Petri.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 450
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
pwul
|
|
Member: Petri Leppanen
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Photography as hobby since 1997. University degree on economics.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.